


personal assistance

by brandywine421



Series: romcoms [1]
Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-09-17 13:57:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16975863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brandywine421/pseuds/brandywine421
Summary: "This is an ad for a personal assistant," Frank growled, dropping the stack of printouts on the counter."So? You can't do construction until you get a doctor's note and the background checks are going to wipe you out for anything else," Sarah said, tapping the ad. "This guy's partner is at the end of her rope trying to find someone to handle him.""It's filing and coffee and dressing nice - " Frank protested. "Why are you hanging out with people that need personal assistants?"





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I want more rom-coms for Frank and Matt.

 

  
"This is an ad for a personal assistant," Frank growled, dropping the stack of printouts on the counter.

"So? You can't do construction until you get a doctor's note and the background checks are going to wipe you out for anything else," Sarah said, tapping the ad. "This guy's partner is at the end of her rope trying to find someone to handle him."

"It's filing and coffee and dressing nice - " Frank protested. "Why are you hanging out with people that need personal assistants?"

David walked into the kitchen, winced and immediately walked back out.

"Just schedule an interview." She grabbed his hand and squeezed. "Please."

"Why?" he asked, tempering his growl this time.

"Because I'll win 500 dollars if you get the job."

 

* * *

 

Frank tugged on the stupid tie Leo had clipped on for him after Zach vetoed the pre-knotted 'Mom' tie. At least this one didn't have dancing Christmas elves on it like the first two.

The law office was pretty upscale for Hell's Kitchen, definitely not one that he would have searched out on his budget; but he pushed through the glass doors of the office building and made his way to the numbered room on the card.

"Good morning, do you have an appointment?" a cheery blonde chirped from behind a desk that still had the price tag hanging off the side. He's still blatantly out of place but at least the woman didn't call him on it.

"Yes, ma'am, Frank Castle. Um. Job interview."

Her eyes lit up like she was the one winning a bet. "Whose referral?"

"Sarah Lieberman."

"Marci, we got a live one," she called into the intercom before offering her hand. "Karen Page, it's great to meet you, Mr. Castle. Come right in."

So much for getting laughed out of the building. He followed Karen into a smaller office with a smaller blonde who sized him up like a slab of meat.

"Sarah thinks she's funny," the woman sighed finally. "Hi, I'm Marci Stahl, one of the partners here."

He felt objectified. "Um. I thought the interview was for - "

"Yes," Marci cut him off. "We're not in need of PAs, but our partner desperately needs a handler."

"A man-handler, nice," Karen murmured.

"Sit," Marci ordered. "We have a PowerPoint."

He cringed internally.

"What does Sarah have on you? I thought she was a banker," Karen asked, smirking at his discomfort.

"She's a friend. She ran out of shit for me to fix in her house. Stuff for me to fix, I mean," Frank corrected, clearing his throat. "Ma'am."

"Any clerical experience?" Marci asked.

"No."

"Legal?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "You need a background check?"

The women huffed. "Street name?"

"Is that relevant?" Both ladies nodded. He needed to leave this building, Stat.

A loud crash from the other room broke the moment and they beat him to the lobby.

A blind man in a suit was poking at an overturned plant with his walking stick. "Why is this here?"

"It got delivered yesterday, aren't you supposed to tap it with your cane before you knock it over?" Marci groaned.

The man frowned at her and continued poking the green plastic. "What is it?"

"It's a decorative plant that you can't kill no matter how hard you try," Karen sighed, resetting the plant and taking his elbow to turn him toward Frank. "Matt Murdock, this is Frank Castle, he's interviewing for the personal assistant job."

Murdock angled his head and Frank felt more exposed than he had in front of the women. Wait.

"Didn't think this would be your kind of day job," Murdock said and he recognized the voice before he matched the jawline. _Motherfuck_.

"Likewise," Frank replied, wishing he had thought to wear more guns.

"Wait. You know each other?" Marci asked.

"No," Frank and Matt denied.

"Sarah referred him so you have to be nice," Marci said after a long beat.

"Call your husband, Marci," Murdock said. "Castle, I can finish your interview in my office - "

"Nope, you're not allowed to do the hiring, you don't know how it works, so shoo. Go into your completely soundproofed office and check your email. Go," Karen ordered, shuffling him into the opposite room before turning her full attention to Frank. "And you - go take your seat for the PowerPoint. We're doing this."

 

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2

 "So, you're The Punisher," Marci announced, cutting into slide number 3 of General Expectations.

Karen barely blinked. "Oh, I didn't recognize him without all the guns."

Frank sighed. Not that he wanted the job, but he wasn't about to leave without talking to Daredevil bare-faced. He was too damned curious now.

"Foggy says you tried to kill our partner a few times, are you still out to murder him?" she asked.

He considered his answer. "Not particularly. We've been staying out of each other's way. I'd like to think we have a mutual understanding - but I didn't know who he was until about ten minutes ago and you've been showing me his weak spots on a slideshow for the past five."

"But you got the ad by referral, are you a snitch? Shit, Foggy's going to kill me - " Marci blurted out.

Frank held up his hand. "I didn't come here looking for dirt on the Devil. I need a job and I'm not allowed to work construction for six more weeks. And for the record, I wouldn't have fucked with him those other times if he had stayed the fuck out of my way."

"You're never going to get hired with language like that," Karen said. "And for the record, the Devil's not the one that's hiring."

He frowned. "But you asked for my code name so you obviously knew it was a possibility that I was a vigilante or something, right?"

Marci sighed and moved to sit on the edge of the desk. Frank pointedly did not look at her legs. "The ad hasn't been posted on any legit websites, we've been shopping it to people that have experience with _special circumstances_. Our last two hires ended up mooching free legal help for their own _special circumstances_ instead of getting Matt to court on time."

"I don't need his help, my _special circumstances_ are completely fine."

"You do realize my husband is your lawyer, _right_?" Marci asked.

He blinked at her. "My lawyer's name is Franklin Nelson."

She plucked a picture frame from her desk and shoved it in his face. _Huh_. Nelson must have some game to land a lady like Marci with hair like that.

"Sarah and David were at our wedding. Matt was *in* our wedding, he's family and he's the only reason we have this shiny new office - "

"And our lives - don't forget that part - " Karen interrupted.

"Foggy's in California because of a mistake we made, okay? And I promised that we would be able to take care of Matt why he's gone," Marci finished. "Maybe it's easy for you to take out a warehouse full of gun traffickers and still get to the construction site on time the next day - but - "

He held up his hand again. "I'm not going to snitch, you don't have to sell me on keeping my mouth shut - but I'm not the right person for this job."

"What else did Foggy say?" Karen asked.

She shrugged. "He doesn't think it'll work because Frank will be too caught up in the Devil to pay attention to the job. Sarah says he's good with her kids, doesn't drop F-bombs around them and is OCD-organized but she doesn't know about Matt, so - "

"Sarah just wants to win a bet," Frank muttered. "I can't even knot a tie and she sends me here."

"Matt can dress himself, that's not what we need you for," Marci snapped.

Karen clicked forward three slides.

**Summary of Daily Tasks**

  *  Keep MM's schedule up-to-date.  

  * Keep MM's assorted technology charged and queued correctly for court, depositions, presentations, meetings, etc. This includes his phone and laptops in home and office.  

  * Take responsibility for 2 feedings per day with correct protein and calorie requirements. This includes no less than 5 cups of coffee per day and no more than 10.  

  * Ensure MM has no visible injuries or bloodstains before entering a courtroom.  

  * Confirm travel plans and weather before enforcing schedules - MM will not ride in taxis and needs special handling for subway trips.



 

"Personal assistants are basically adult babysitters and the pay's great," Karen said, wary.

"Your husband does this shit for him?" Frank asked Marci.

She snorted. "Fuck no, their codependency is on a whole different level. Foggy's his touchstone, Matt doesn't always...fire on all cylinders when he's not around."

"We need Matt to be * **present** * when he's in the office. Whatever he's doing at night shouldn't affect what he does during the day. He saves just as many lives taking down slumlords and pharmaceutical companies as he does punching ninjas," Karen said.

"He's _that_ kind of lawyer?" Frank didn't know if he was impressed or disappointed.

"Not often, depends on the client. His rare cases paid for this place, but he does way too much pro bono to pay real life bills when he's left alone," Marci replied. "I'm riding his coattails so I can take those cases now and he can keep helping battered women and misguided gangbangers."

"Daredevil broke up a human trafficking ring last week at the docks and Matt's handling the immigration cases for six of the women," Karen said. "You're not an asshole, Castle, you guys don't have to be enemies. You could be frenemies instead, right?"

He scanned the PowerPoint list. "You act like it's a remote possibility that he'd go for it."

"You'd have to sign a non-disclosure agreement that has clauses to include not using what you know about his identity against him outside of work hours," Marci stated. "But he's loyal as fuck and he promised Foggy that if he continued to fuck up that he'd accept our rules - and we get to hire the assistant."

"So much for clean language," Karen sighed.

"Let me talk to Murdock. Give us ten minutes not to kill each other and we'll discuss it."  


* * *

 

Murdock was talking to himself when Marci and Karen escorted him into his office. "I can't make an informed decision on that, Ms. Parker, unless your nephew provides more information. Can you hold on, just a moment?" He tilted his head toward them and Frank spotted the earpiece. "Karen, don't bring that _thing_ in here."

He opened his mouth to fire back an insult but Karen rolled her eyes and pulled an impressive pistol from her invisible waistline and walked out of the room.

"You passed the first round of the gauntlet?" Murdock asked. He seemed more curious than antagonistic and it was unsettling as fuck.

"He signed the NDA. He probably won't be much help in court but he checks a lot of boxes and he's got a driver's license," Marci said.

"Any problems with church?" Murdock asked after a beat.

"No?"

Murdock frowned. "Is that a question or an answer?"

It was none of the Devil's _fucking_ business but he felt called out. "I quit seminary six months in, fuck you very much."

Murdock turned away and pressed his finger to his ear. "Stop tattling to your aunt, Peter, I can't deal with this during work hours. It's not a legal problem - no. Yes. I saw him three hours ago. It's not a code red, it's barely a code yellow. Go to school, do not pass go, do not collect - no."

"He's really serious about his church stuff so, maybe don't choose that hill to die on," Karen whispered. Murdock pointed at her, annoyed and she flipped him the bird.

"Can he see that?"

"No, but it makes me feel better," she replied.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cards out - probably won't update this again in 2018, but I have plans. See you next year!


	3. Chapter 3

  
"Blind?" Frank asked when he was alone with the Devil.

"Since I was 10. All my other senses are turned up to eleven," Murdock replied, leaning back in his chair. He took off his glasses so Frank could see his vacant eyes. "Even if Daredevil could accept your murder habit, you're too loud to work with."

Frank started to argue that he didn't need the Devil's help but he flashed back to what the ladies said about his previous PA's. "I don't need a sidekick," he said, appreciating the insulted expression on Murdock's face as he slid his shades back on. "Punisher's retired, I don't need any trouble. I need a real job and Sarah tricked me."

Matt relaxed. "You're telling the truth."

"That one of your tricks?" he considered after a moment.

"Yep," he smiled. "Sarah doesn't know about my other gig, so I'd appreciate you keeping that to yourself. But if you're serious about keeping my secret and can help me stay on track during work hours - the job's yours."

"Just like that?"

Matt splayed his hand on the desk and Frank scanned the scars and fresh scabs on his knuckles, not sure what the guy was trying to tell him. "I have to stay hyper-focused when I'm in the other suit, but real life can be - difficult. I don't think you'd let me walk into traffic or the wrong courtroom if I paid you well enough. And there's a two week-probation period anyway, nobody's made it that long."

It seemed too easy but where else would he be exposed as the Punisher and still be offered the job?

"I go to confession Tuesdays at ten. If Foggy's not in town, I have to make it a priority and my last PAs never put it on the schedule. I can make it to Mass on my own but - "

"I get it," Frank decided. "Two weeks. I don't want to let Sarah down, she really wants to win that bet."

"Marci and Karen are in charge, so let them know when you want to start and they'll work out the paperwork. Oh - and no guns in my office, they can give you a lockbox in the lobby," Matt said, moving to open the office door. The women didn't pretend not to be waiting outside and beamed at Frank brightly.

Two weeks he could handle. He was curious enough to give it that long.

 

* * *

 

Marci gave him a key to Murdock's apartment and Karen gave him a tablet filled with helpful tricks and instructions to handling Matt's calendar and general guidelines in more detail than the PowerPoint.

He skimmed some of it, but it was more thorough than he thought Matt would appreciate when it came to matching socks and underpants.

He knocked twice and then used his key.

Matt greeted him, shirtless in boxer briefs with an adorably confused expression. "The fuck?"

"Morning, Boss," he replied, tearing his eyes away from his nearly naked employer. _Damn_ , the devil had all kinds of secrets under his suits - that was a body worth appreciating.

"Did I miss my alarm? Is there coffee? I need coffee," Matt said, stumbling past him to a compact kitchen area and giving Frank his free pass to catalog the apartment. It was sparse and raw compared to the shiny legal office and he made a mental note to harass Marci and Karen about the decorating again.

Frank stared up at the line of broken windows that seemed to be sealed with some sort of webbing. Spider-man did windows? "What happened up there?"

"Birds kept getting in, had to do something until I can get it fixed. Bullseye is a bastard," Matt grumbled, puttering around the kitchen touching all of the things. "Where the fuck is the coffee?"

He'd heard of that sniper asshole but he thought he was off the playing field. He wondered how long the windows had been broken.

"Two ticks to your right, according to my kitchen grid," Frank said and Matt seemed to find his bearings and located the jar right away.

"Thank you. Why are you here again?" Matt asked, his hands steady as he prepared the coffeemaker with practiced skill.

"It's my first day and you're supposed to walk me through your routine so I can get the hang of your calendar. It's not going to be a daily habit," Frank pointed out and Matt relaxed, scratching at a line of half-plucked stitches under his ribs.

"Awesome. I'm going to shower, look around but don't move my stuff. That's not your job," he added, stumbling one step before recovering and disappearing into the back.

He consulted his tablet to see if he should be worried about his charge's sluggish response time. For morning instruction, 'COFFEE' was listed as protocol for multiple scenarios.

He started with the fridge, tallying up the grocery list and checking the expiration dates on some of the lower shelves before carefully putting everything back in place. The garbage had been taken out recently and the mail seemed up to date on the side table.

Matt seemed to have his shit together but the strict organization was a delicate house of cards - a blind guy needed more order than a normal lawyer, vigilante side work aside.

He settled on the bar-stool to wait and Matt reappeared wearing pressed slacks and a belt but no shirt. "It's not in your job description, but - can you pull these out?" Frank counted three tiny stitches on his lower back.  As if he needed up close proof that the guy worked out.

"Sit down and drink your coffee," he said, trading positions with Matt. "Not shaving today?"

"It's Thursday, I don't have to shave on Thursdays," Matt replied, humming appreciatively at the mug of black coffee Frank poured for him.

The bastard didn't flinch when Frank plucked the residual stitches and plastered a bandage over the small raw patch of skin, taking care not to let his touch linger. "Good?"

"Thank you. You don't have to suck up this much to make a good impression - Sarah called me last night and warned me that you might go overboard," Matt said.

Of course.

"I didn't expect a wake-up call, but it gives us time to stop for better coffee and bagels. The ladies will love your enthusiasm and maybe we can both get off the hook for lectures today."

 

* * *

 

After lunch - Frank realized that he _might_ have a problem. Daredevil boiled his blood into cold rage but Matt Murdock seemed to be a legitimately good guy. He knew all the baristas' names at the first coffee shop and had change and banter for most of the vagrants and locals they passed on their walk to the office.

He wasn't sure what to do with the information other than scheduling cold showers into the dog-walking breaks back to his apartment.

"You can stay for this meeting, we're just finalizing details," Matt said, opening a drawer on his desk and passing a shoe box to him. "This will help."

He didn't have a chance to question the parcel before a young woman and two identical kindergarten-sized children entered the office. Introductions were made, the client was seated and Frank found himself staring down two children with laser eyes locked on the the box.

He moved over to the corner seats and sat down with the box on his lap, reverently opening it and praying it wasn't full of sugary sweets to rile up the children. He was relieved to find it filled with plastic dinosaurs, dragons and colorful ponies. He held up one of each and the boys went for the horses without further discussion.

The strategy seemed to work because the kids didn't pay attention to Matt's careful instructions about regular drug testing, steady work, check-ins with the probation officer and surprise child services visits. Frank couldn't judge the woman, not with his history and the set of clean and happy twins actually behaving themselves in public.

"Next time won't be a freebie so don't push your luck. I'm very expensive," Matt said, standing up so the woman could turn the handshake into a hug. Her hands drifted a little low and he winced, stepping backward with a scolding expression that made her giggle.

Yeah, Frank might have a problem.

 

* * *

 

  
"Would you mind stepping into the lobby to check on Karen?" Matt asked without raising his fingers from the pages. "Without letting her know that you're checking on her and definitely not because I asked you to?"

He didn't question Matt's supersenses after his first few days with him - they were a gift and a curse all at once for the guy. The soundproof office wasn't 100% for the Devil but it was sometimes a dangerous buffer.

Karen was locked in a stare-down with a large man in an even larger hoodie pulled tightly to hide his face - or actually - his mask. He had a picnic basket on his lap with a cocoon of blankets holding - nothing that Frank could see.

He cleared his throat. "Karen?"

She forced her eyes away from the man to Frank. "Mr. Wilson isn't allowed to see Matt during office hours. He knows the rules."

The man raised his gloved hand but Karen hissed at him. The picnic basket hiccuped.

Frank flipped his mental rolodex from Red's briefing. He wasn't the new Captain America so Wilson had to be the Merc with a Mouth. A baby, invisible or not, would make it an exception to daytime rules. "Leave your guns with Karen and bring the basket."

"Swords, too," Karen amended, opening the bottom drawer for Wilson to obey. "No talking until you're out of my space."

 

* * *

 

"Wade. Where did you find an invisible baby?" Matt demanded as gruffly as possible as he rocked the alleged baby on his shoulder. The dribble on the small towel was lending dangerous truth to the merc's story.

"Cincinnati, it was a clusterfuck - but goddamn I love laser guns - what about you, Punisher? Ever shot one of those - "

"No," Frank growled. "Focus."

"Baby, Wade?"

"Some bumblebee-looking assholes were trying to load her onto a hoverround - hovercraft, sorry, long fucking week today," he said, waving his hands absently. "I had some extra ammo and found that basket on the subway, seemed legit to carry a baby hallucination."

Matt hummed. "Why did you bring her to me?"

Wade froze. "You're, like, the only sane person I know that's not in jail or wanted by crazed military scientists."

Matt tilted his head but Frank shrugged. "Fair."

Wade threw up his hands.  "Thank you - it wasn't my problem, by the way, I was just there for the pretty lights - so I actually have no idea who the bees were looking for."

Matt trailed his free hand across his desk to find his not-work-allowed phone and swiped the screen. "Call Roger."

Frank had a shiver of anticipation as the phone rang on speaker.  
  
"Invisibility?" Matt asked without context.

_"Did you get zapped with magic or - "_

Frank blushed when Matt smirked at him from the flutter of excitement at OG Captain America's voice.

"Contact found an invisible baby in Cincinnati," Matt said.

Cap whistled. " _Nice one. I'll send a text. Kid look okay to you since nobody else can see it?"_

"Seems like it. Not a mutant, human with some - space radiation maybe?"

" _Susan Storm's invisible, but she's an adult. Hang on - Nat! Is Susan Storm's kid invisible?"_

Wade snapped his fingers. "That's right - big rock guy and Firecrotch were there!"

Matt frowned. "I don't mess with scientists, but I think Pete knows the Torch."

" _They're not allowed to have playdates per the Almighty Aunt May, I'll make a call. You need me to send a lady over to watch the baby?"_ Frank winced at the sudden hissing in the background before Cap rephrased. _"Ow, sorry - do you need me to send anyone regardless of gender over to take the child?_ "

"You've got a deposition in two hours," Frank said. He was on the clock, after all.

 


	4. Chapter 4

 

 

 

  
"You're not supposed to be doing side work during daylight hours," Karen stated as she watched Wade sort through the drawer to replace his weapons.

"Extenuating circumstances. It won't mess up the schedule, I'll be back in time for my next appointment," Matt replied, holding the basket in front of him. "Frank's got a carseat and everything."

He sighed when Karen turned her glare toward him. "I tried being an Uber driver but apparently out of state parking tickets still count."

"You've been hitting all the marks, don't let him get you off track or I'll have to tell Foggy," Karen said under her breath when Frank was finally allowed to get his single gun out of the drawer after Deadpool's arsenal was removed.

Matt held out the basket to Karen with a huff. "It's a baby, are you seriously telling me to ignore a _baby_ because of office hours?"

"You got kidnapped by goat-people the last time you played the 'extenuating circumstances' card," Karen replied.

"My bad," Deadpool said.

"Get out," Karen snarled and they all took the exit.

Matt buckled in the invisible child and Frank tried not to fixate on the levitating pacifier in the seat. The truck was quiet until he made it about halfway to the Baxter building.

"How's your brain, Wade?" Matt asked quietly.

"Loud."

"You did well, you got an infant to New York from Cincinnati without doing any damage. You saved a kid," Matt continued.

"I killed at least twenty bees in Ohio, one baby doesn't cancel that out. I'm never going to be a role model for impressionable spiders," Wade sighed.

"They had laser-guns so putting your immortality aside, self-defense still counts. The point is - the noise in your head landed you on the right side this time."

Frank wasn't sure why Deadpool needed a pep talk but it was worth it to see Matt's extreme discomfort from the merc's follow-up hug.

He had directions to underground parking and didn't peek when Matt changed into his Devil gear in the backseat. He tried not to think about the practiced routine going on with Wade trading armor for clothes on command.

He'd barely shifted into park before the invisible baby spat out the pacifier and started flailing in the blankets. Matt got out and opened the door so he could scoop her into his arms to try and settle her down. "Incoming," he said when Frank and Wade joined him. He turned toward the elevator but Frank didn't see anything.

"Mama!" the bundle wailed and Matt hesitated, tilting his head toward Frank.

"Don't see anyone," Frank replied.

Wade snapped his fingers. "Cap said the mom was invisible, too!"

Susan Storm materialized inches from Matt with a panicked, and slightly thunderous expression. "Daredevil?"

"You're beautiful," Wade whispered.

Matt held out the bundle and she took the baby with a huff of breath. Frank blinked when the blankets suddenly filled with a plump rosy baby with her mama's hair. "Deadpool said some bees were trying to load her on a plane," Matt said.

Wade raised his hand in a slow wave.

"Thank you, please, come upstairs - " Susan deflated, clutching her baby tightly. "I always put an invisibility shield over her when I'm in the field, I don't know how they found her..."

Frank tapped Matt's elbow. "You gotta get back to work."

Matt nodded reluctantly and nodded to the woman. "I'm just here as intermediary - Deadpool has your intel. I'm glad she got home safe to her mother," he added, patting the baby's soft hair.

"Double D makes me seem less mentally unstable, but I can totally handle a debrief on my own," Wade said cheerily.

Frank checked his pockets and found the approved business card and held it out. "The Devil can help after normal business hours if you have any questions."

"Seriously?" Matt frowned. "You had cards made?"

"Get in the truck, Boss," Frank replied and narrowed a glare at Wade. "Call him off the clock."

 

* * *

 

Marci and Karen dragged him into the office while Matt met with his clients and the opposing counsel in his office but he didn't think he was going to get fired. Sarah would have his nuts in a vise.

He got the point when his lawyer's face beamed at him from the computer monitor. "Hi, Frank."

"Mr. Nelson," he nodded. "What's all this?"

"Dude - you got Matt away from Deadpool without any arrest warrants - that's a big deal!"

Frank shrugged, unsure why it merited a phone call with his lawyer. "Guy's pretty scared of Karen." She preened and Marci gave her a high-five.

"Wade doesn't respect the day job," Nelson said. "And he also has a pesky habit of convincing Matt to do reckless things - so you win all the PA points for the week. Ladies, can I have a few minutes with my client?"

He mentally tallied how many crimes he'd committed since his last meeting but Nelson smiled at him, still friendly, when Frank was alone in the room with the monitor.

"Okay. Jeez, relax, I just wanted privacy to talk to you."

"Oh. Sure. What's on your mind?"

Nelson sighed heavily. "Matt's my best friend, okay, but he fails at taking care of himself if he thinks nobody's paying attention."

Frank waved his hand to dismiss him. "The guy gets around fine, I don't see what the big deal is - "

"Because he's maintaining the balance - for now," Nelson cut him off. "Sticking to street level crime, not getting involved in superhero bullshit - making it to work every day - that's an achievement, all right? But if you met Wade, well, you noticed he has some issues, right?"

Frank shrugged. "Sure. Battle fatigue."

Nelson snorted. "That's - no - well, maybe as a mitigating factor but he's full on paranoid-schizophrenic on a good day. Matty's recently been upgraded from clinically depressed to bipolar and as your lawyer, I know you're always just a dog-fighting ring away from a psychotic episode - "

"Your point?" he interrupted.

"He's my best friend," Nelson said, plaintive. "Matt, not Daredevil. I can't say shit like that in front of Marci or Karen without them getting extra weird - please take care of him."

"I get it," Frank said with a firm nod. "But he really does seem okay to me."

Nelson rolled his eyes. "I can't take your word for it - I won't believe any of you until I can check on him for myself."

 

* * *

 

He spent Friday night getting wasted in a dive bar with three beautiful women out of his league, his best friend in an actual shirt and not a bathrobe - and his boss aka 'epic crush' doing all kind of pool-table black magic with that popcorn ass.

Sarah and David had picked out his 'problem' after Matt bent over to make the first corner shot but for some reason, they didn't call him on it out loud.

It was only after his fifth beer that Marci draped her arm around his shoulder and kissed his cheek sloppily. "Matty's not showing off for us, we're immune to his swagger by now."

"You said it was a mating ritual and we weren't allowed to talk about it!" David whispered across the booth.

Marci rolled her eyes and pointed a manicured nail at him. "You have loose lips, Geek Squad, that's why you're never allowed at the cool table."

Sarah elbowed him hard. "You're ruining my rep, Babe."

"But I'm wearing a button-down," David pouted, smoothing down his shirt. "And I have all kinds of workplace romance jokes saved up from - okay, fine..." Sarah kissed him as a thank you for shutting up.

Frank's attention drifted back to the thin crowd around the pool table. Matt traded his stick for a handful of cash and Karen laughed bright as sunshine at his side. They made a great couple, the yin and the yang personified and he reconsidered his accidental attraction.

Karen leaned in, pressing her lips to his earlobe and Frank barely caught the sleight of hand as Matt slipped something into her back pocket. Something square and possibly condom-shaped.

Marci crowed suddenly, sloshing her overpriced wine as she spotted her partners. "Karen's on the hunt!" Karen paused long enough to flip Marci the bird before she strutted out of sight.

"That wasn't very nice, Marci," Matt scolded, dropping the fistful of winnings on the table.

"Does her new boyfriend know she gets her condoms from her ex?" Marci nagged, swinging her legs over Matt's when he slid into the booth.

"She's just mad she doesn't know the new boyfriend," Matt confided.

"Wrong. I'm mad that my husband's in a different time zone because I don't understand Bitcoin," Marci blurted out, sloshing the rest of her wine down Matt's shirt.

Frank had so many new things to consider now.

 

* * *

 

 

Week two started out steady enough until Matt didn't turn up at the preapproved coffee shop on Tuesday. Frank gave him three voicemails and a half hour before letting himself into the apartment.

"I don't think I can come in today," Matt's voice greeted him from the couch and Frank's alarms went off. He put down the carton of coffee and bag of bagels and hurried over to check on his boss - hell - his friend.

"Are you - " he didn't finish the question because the answer was red and leaking out of Matt's nose and ears. The red devil armor was strewn across the floor in a trail of smeared blood.

Matt waved his hand listlessly - God, blood was caked under his nails. "I can't see."

"Christ." Frank dialed Karen as he rummaged in Matt's bathroom to gather first aid supplies. "Hey. Boss is code red so he needs the day, can you file those briefs when you take Marci's batch to the courthouse - I'll reschedule his appointments, he doesn't have court - "

"I can handle some of the joint cases, I'll log-in shortly. Does he need a doctor?"

"Dunno yet, but I have the call tree. I'll check in when I have a health level, I expect hazard pay if he gets mouthy."

"That's in your contract, go with God," she laughed.

He sent six emails in five minutes - thank fuck for form letters - and put the tablet aside when he got back to the couch.

"Coffee?" Matt asked, hoarse and not cute at all.

"Fuck you," Frank replied, tearing open a wipe and cleaning away the dried blood and grit from his face. "What did you get into?"

"Can't do bombs, didn't have a frame of reference until too late - must have tripped a sensor - got the kids out, but fuck bombs, Frank. Fuck 'em," Matt slurred, tilting his head into Frank's touch.

"Dammit, Red, why didn't you call me?" he hissed.

Matt scowled. "You're not on the clock. Spidey's got finals and Wade didn't return my voicemail. I'm not fucking up your clean slate."

"Bombs, Matt - you can't - "

"I didn't know - it was a mistake. Sloppy. Might've burst my eardrums. Still taste blood," he muttered, shifting away from his hand and trying to push himself upright. Frank hissed and helped him swing his legs off to lever himself up.

He carefully pressed his fingers into the dark bruises on Matt's chest, feeling the forced breaths. "Pretty sure your bruised ribs have been officially kicked up to broken now. I don't know if you're going to make confession today, Matty." He hesitated when Matt smiled at him, dopey.

"You're not allowed to call me that. I'll call Father Lantom if my ears are still ringing by ten."

Frank mapped a grid of bruises peppered with shrapnel and got a whiff of desert sand and gunpowder.

Matt made a displeased sound and caught his attention, reaching out to take his wrist and pull it to his damp ear. "Your heart's skipping, what's happening?"

He forced a breath and didn't dare pull his hand away. "Sorry. Don't like the idea of you and bombs."

"You can go, take the day - "

Frank curled his fingers and stroked a line down his jaw. "Shut the fuck up, Matt."

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

 

Frank didn't want to think about Matt's pain threshold after treating the worst of the burns and icing the abused muscles. He didn't want to think about how a man who'd never gone to war had a history of pain written across his flesh. He didn't want to think about the way he responded to Frank's softest touch.

"Hey. I feel better," Matt said, blinking dully up at him when he returned from dumping a load of laundry into the basement machines.

"Don't look it. You call your priest?"

"Sent a text. Wade might stop by, or Spidey. Update me on the kids," Matt hummed, draping his arm across his face. "I know what your glare of judgement sounds like, what of it?"

Frank sat down with a frustrated sigh and decided not to yell, yet. Matt leaned against him in a friendly but careful slump that Frank refused to acknowledge. "You mean the kids from last night?"

"Yeah. They weren't normal kids, smelled different - before I got blasted," Matt admitted. "Not space radiation, mutant - thus the call to Deadpool."

"Didn't know he was an X-Man," Frank said.

Matt laughed into his shoulder, his breath warming the cloth. "Never say that to him, it makes him want to shoot things."

"You think it's related to the bee-guys that took the invisible baby?"

Matt didn't have the shield of his glasses to hide his expression. "I didn't consider it - not that I could tell since I'm _colorblind_."

Matt wound his arm through Frank's elbow and laced their fingers together while Frank watched. The touching - he wondered if it was a regular concussion symptom. "I hate you," Frank decided.

"Really?" he murmured against his shoulder.

"I hate you and bombs. How did you not smell it?" Frank demanded, squeezing fingers tight when Matt tried to retract his hold.

"I don't know - I followed the sound of crying children - I had no idea I'd find a cage-full of kids. I don't even know how I got home," Matt whispered, sinking into the couch.

 _Shit_. "That's - crisis protocol, Matt, what the fuck?"

" _Foggy. Foggy. Foggy._ "

Frank grabbed the phone before Matt and answered it with a swipe. "Nelson, we've got a problem."

_"I heard about that - Matty, you all right?"_

"Better, I can hear again - how do you - "

_"Sergeant Mahoney called, said he gave a bunch of feral children your address last night and told me to follow up."_

"Cops, that's bad," Frank said blankly as Matt groaned in frustration.

_"Nah, the kids filed full reports with no mention of Red assholes so business as usual for the Kitchen - so I'm going to ask Frank this time - how is he?"_

Frank considered what he knew of Nelson and his associates - mainly Marci and Karen - and decided not to push his luck. "He's a goddamn mess. I patched him up and he's talking more sense but - he seems to think bombs are a thing he can fuck around with."

"I hate you," Matt stated flatly.

"Really?" Frank countered.

" _Matt_."

"It wasn't intentional, it was incidental. It was a normal patrol that turned into something else. Do I need to talk to Brett?"

_"No, I told him you'd be visiting his mother in exactly three days and promised him that Wade wasn't squatting in Hell's Kitchen."_

"He's outside the city limits," Matt replied. "I'm - "

" _I know you're sorry, you're always sorry_ ," Foggy cut him off and Matt's face twisted with emotion. " _I need to know if you're all right. You don't do bombs._ "

"I didn't mean to," Matt whispered.

_"Three days out of work, Frank gets paid time-off and you have to make up every appointment and court date you miss. Your choices have consequences."_

"Fog - "

_"Call me in three hours, California will be awake by then and maybe I can deal with you."_

That seemed pretty harsh and Matt scowled at the phone when it went silent. "My face looks all right, doesn't it? I won't miss three days."

"Marci and Karen will probably back him up," Frank said, careful.

"I just have to walk it off and pass whatever jacked up medical tests they try to give me. I refuse to call this a setback, I worked too hard to get a lecture - " Matt snapped, pushing himself to his feet and swaying immediately before Frank slid his arm around his waist to help him down again.

"Easy," Frank warned. "You can't wait three hours until he cools off?"

Matt turned toward him and set his jaw. "I have been very well-behaved," he stated with precise diction.

"Well - " he started but Matt leaned over and kissed him.

Well, shit.

 

* * *

 

" _Whoa_ \- this is a goddamn trap - " Frank realized when Matt's fingers found his belt. He pulled back and wiped his mouth. Goddamn, he wasn't a teenager.

"Never had it called that before," Matt replied, blinking when Frank pointed at him accusingly. "I thought we were on the same page."

"You're trying to distract me - "

"Maybe," Matt interrupted, splaying his hand on Frank's chest to hold him in place. "Just confirm the page."

"Why are you doing this?" Frank asked.

"Company," Matt replied, pointing up. "I'm sorry if I misinterpreted - "

"This isn't the time for making out like teenagers - "

"I was planning on blowing you - "

"You have a major head injury and - " Frank bit back his words when Deadpool in full-suit stalked into the room.

"Knock knock - I'm not sure what I should ask about first, the blow job or concussion - the hell is happening here, Murdock?"

"Fuck you," Matt sighed, snatching a pillow for his lap and another for Frank before slumping back into the cushions.

Frank had a few questions for the Merc with a Mouth, mainly where the fuck he'd been the night before - but he focused on inhaling through his nose to quiet his hard-on and try to balance what the hell just happened with real life.

"Got the kids up to Xavier's and didn't get arrested - I'm starting to like this town considering my three week record," Wade said, bracketing Matt's cheeks with his gloved hands and wobbling his head roughly. "They said you got messed up but you didn't say anything about being messed up on the phone - "

Frank growled at Matt's utter ineptitude.

"I didn't trip the bomb until after I called you. I was too out of it afterward to call anybody and now everything is awful," Matt sighed. "Foggy's mad at me, Frank's going to sue me for sexual harassment and you smell like three day old rice and beans."

"Ouch, that's a level 7 whine right there," Wade clucked. "Have you cleared him for coffee yet?"

Frank flipped him off.

Wade released Matt's face and booped him on the nose, earning a wrinkled hissing-cat face. "You saved a bunch of kids, didn't kill anyone and made it home alive - you followed all the rules, don't let your platonic life partner fuck up your self-esteem - ain't nobody got time for that."

When he put it like that, maybe Nelson was overreacting.

"You're not supposed to fuck with bombs," Wade said.

Matt sighed.

"You're off the case anyway," Wade said, heading toward the kitchen. "Bumblebee motherfuckers messed with the wrong kids - between the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, they've got a bunch of Storms heading their way. You gave them the lead so no promises on keeping them off your back from follow up." He waved his hand in front of his face. "I couldn't tell them you were blind as fuck so they just think you're paranoid but the kids would not shut up about your kung fu bullshit."

"Wolverine hates me. So much," Matt mumbled.

"More than me, that's a lot," Wade agreed. "So, coffee and then blow jobs?"

 


	6. Chapter 6

 

  
Frank let himself into Matt's apartment like it was a normal day and he hadn't been up all night arguing with himself and taking cold showers. He shouldn't be surprised to find Matt dressed and waiting by the counter.

"I have been known to use sex as a coping mechanism in times of extreme stress," Matt said formally.

"I'm not going to sue you for harassment," Frank sighed. He glanced at the spread of pastries and fresh coffee from his favorite deli six blocks outside of the Devil's territory.

"Just let me say it." Matt fidgeted with his tie like did when he was thinking too hard. "You're a friend and I need that more than I need an assistant or a one-night-stand. I can't blame it on the concussion or my attraction - I lost control and I'd take it back if I could. But that's not how real life works. I'm sorry."

He held back his laugh at the pained expression on Matt's face. "Don't hurt yourself, Boss. And I can't let you take all the blame, I didn't have the concussion - "

"But the attraction was mutual?" Matt cut him off.

"* **Is** * mutual. But I'm not as ' _fast_ ' as everyone seems to think you are. One of the PowerPoint slides mentions your tendency toward casual sex and violence as a norm."

"Of course it does," Matt muttered, slumping on the stool. "My - a friend from the church came by with some medical equipment and cleared me for light duty if you're up for escorting me to the office later. After breakfast?"

"You're really trying to butter me up, aren't you?"

Matt shrugged. "I scheduled breakfast for Foggy with room service in California. I maintain that the incident with the bomb was an unavoidable accident but I made a lot of mistakes in the aftermath."

"You should've called me," Frank said.

"I'm never going to call you if I'm in the mask," Matt replied without hesitation. "I never want to be the reason you load a gun."

"But you'll call that Merc, Deadpool? You rate him above me because of some - " Frank snapped.

"Not because I needed his weapons but I needed his contacts. There is no 'rating', Frank. The Punisher and Deadpool handle shit that Daredevil needs to stay the hell away from - and vice versa," Matt replied, refusing to rise to Frank's bait. "If I ever run into bullshit with the Deep State, sure, I'll give you a call for Intel, or to pass off the lead - just like I do with mutants and military scientists for Wade. But you're Matt Murdock's friends, not Daredevil's allies - only Spider-Man and a couple of other people get that albatross."

"Daredevil and Matt Murdock are the same guy. I'm the Punisher because I'm Frank," Frank stated.

"My life doesn't work that way," Matt replied evenly, moving around the counter within his reach. "And you haven't been the Punisher in weeks, no gunpowder on your clothes, just dog and take-out. No heavy boots or armor and only one gun in Karen's Drawer of War. You don't even bring a gun inside my apartment and it's not soundproof."

He paused. "That's why you don't let guns in your office?"

"Fire a shot in there and the noise would short my hearing out for hours," Matt said absently. "My point is - "

"I get your point, but I fucking hate it," Frank said, taking his wrist. "If you need help, Frank Castle and the Punisher have the same goddamn number."

"Really? That doesn't seem legally advisable," Matt frowned, not pulling away. Frank had all night to think about it and he's pretty sure Matt's a whore for physical contact. It was a theory he planned on testing _thoroughly_ when they finished arguing.

"You don't get to choose who answers my phone, Frank or the Punisher because I'm the same damned person. And if Deadpool is Matt Murdock's friend, he wouldn't wear that mask when he comes to the office."

Matt still didn't pull away. "He has to wear it in public, something's wrong with his skin. I won't involve you in Daredevil business, Frank." He leaned in. "I need your help more as Matt Murdock than I'll ever need as Daredevil. I want you to be a part of * **this** * life and not that one. You took this job to get a clean start and stay out of trouble and I'm not going to fuck that up."

"You're not responsible for me."

"What are we arguing about?"

Frank released his wrist and lightly placed his hands on Matt's waist, appreciating his shudder. He bet he could play his ribs like a guitar and make him purr but for now, Matt's soft huff of breath was enough. "If we're _friends_ , and maybe _more_ , then you'll damned well call me when you need me. Doesn't matter what name you call me, what name you call yourself -you pick up the goddamn phone - deal?"

Matt took a slow breath but didn't answer, draping his arms loosely around Frank's shoulders and catching his mouth.

_Tease_.

"We can discuss your terms at your Friday evaluation," Matt said, conceding with a sloppy nip on his jaw when Frank managed to remember the plan.

"Fair enough. Depending on your answer, maybe I'll ask you on a date so you don't give yourself blue balls trying to get me into bed."

"But - "

Frank kissed him and then twisted past him to check out the breakfast spread. "You said you'd been very well-behaved - see if you can keep it up until Friday and we'll discuss."

 

* * *

  
  
"Staff meeting," Matt announced. Karen and Marci glared at them across a table filled with documents in messy but sorted piles.

"Fuck off, we think we found a smoking gun for the cheese case - " Karen motioned to the mess.

Frank reconsidered all the good things he'd thought about the lawyers. "Cheese?"

"Allegedly dairy-free cheese, mislabeled that put a kid into anaphylactic shock," Matt said absently. "Won't take long, and you can tell me your discovery after."

"Are you even supposed to be here today?" Marci asked, scanning him with sharp eyes when she looked up from a screenshot of a label. "Did Foggy say he could come to work?" she directed at Frank.

Matt waved his hand. "Sister Maggie checked my blood pressure and everything."

"Aw, he got his Mom to write him a note, how sweet," Karen cooed. Matt gave her the finger as he sat down.

His mom was a _nun_? Frank decided to leave that question for _way_ later. "I'm overhauling his schedule."

"Why?" Karen asked.

"He needs more daytime hours to deal with his other stuff. He'll make up any work overflow on nights he doesn't do his 'volunteer work'," Frank said, proud.

Both women narrowed their perfectly lined eyes at him. He stepped back and opened the door to show the lobby where Hank McCoy waited in all his furry blue glory, poking absently at the fake plant with a teenager-shaped bundle of clothes and scarves beside him. Frank closed the door again.

"At least they didn't send Logan this time, he hates Matt," Karen shrugged.

"Write it up and we'll discuss. What else?" Marci asked.

"If Frank makes it to Friday without getting maimed or fired, we're totally going to fuck," Matt said.

He thumped him hard on the shoulder since he didn't want to concuss the bastard again.

"I'm going to court him like a civilized person who respects monogamy and proposition him for not-casual-at-all sex," Matt rephrased with a wicked grin. He knew how good that grin tasted now.

"Yeah, I'll believe _that_ when I see it, you've probably already tried to blow him," Marci snorted.

Frank thumped Matt again but he snorted and leaned forward. "Cheese? You need me to look at anything?"

"Ha," Karen sighed. "Maybe, not - "

"If you're really into working nights, give us until seven and we'll bring you our notes, and Karen can fill you in on the Riggs background she got for you yesterday," Marci said firmly. "I need the afternoon to see my shrink and run ten miles on the treadmill and Karen needs to get to her sale - "

"Oh my God, it's Wednesday!" Karen gasped in alarm. "All the good stuff will be gone - "

Frank held out his keys and she took them, wary. "I know you still haven't taken the books out of Marci's trunk from your trip last Wednesday because she keeps complaining about it."

Matt laughed softly. "Frank's totally going to make it 'til Friday."

"Good meeting, everyone's dismissed," Marci said, scrubbing at her eyes. "I'm going to make more piles."

Matt went to her side and squeezed her shoulder until she looked up at him. "Tell me."

"Fuck off, go play with your mutants," Marci snapped. Frank wasn't sure Matt should defy her but he squeezed her shoulder again and she sighed. "I'm probably going to jail because of imaginary money. Foggy - "

"Not jail, maybe a fine. They might let you pay it in Bitcoin," Matt said softly.

Frank snorted. "You should talk to David. He knows all about that stuff. Sarah tried to pay me to kill him when he turned the kids' college funds into Bitcoin. Guy never has cash or change for the meter because all his money's 'in the cloud'."

"Well shit," Marci whispered. "Everyone's dismissed, I've got a man in a bathrobe to harass."

"And you have a schedule," Frank reminded Matt, pulling open the door again. He regretted it when he recognized a new addition to the lobby with a police badge hanging off his belt. The cop chatted amicably with Beast and Karen pecked him on the cheek on her way to the parking lot.

But Frank was in it now, no take-backs.

 

* * *

 

"The people responsible for kidnapping the kids are part of a splinter group of Advanced Idea Mechanics - " Dr. McCoy said. The girl, Wanda, was ignoring them and levitating a set of plastic dinosaurs on Matt's couch.

"That's an Avengers' level group, what are they doing in the Kitchen?" Matt asked before he could go on.

Sergeant Mahoney shrugged. "Transport, most of the kids were from other parts of the city and we didn't have any Perps left capable of questioning after the bomb took out the building."

"They were alive when we were freed," Wanda added without looking away from the dinosaurs doing loop-de-loops in the red swirls of magic. "The bomb was on a self-destruct trigger, it went off exactly ten minutes after you released us from the cells. You probably disabled the guard that was in charge of flipping the safety switch."

"Thank you," Matt said, his voice cracking, tilting his head toward the girl. "That's - good to know."

Mahoney cleared his throat. "I didn't hear that. Just like I don't have any idea who your new PA is," he added with a glare at Frank. "The victims have requested representation, they don't want their DNA profiles or names leaked and most of them want to go home to their families."

Matt nodded. "I've worked as a legal advocate for Xavier's foundlings before, that's not a problem."

"We're not all Xavier's," Wanda said. "I am very happy with my current placement in Brooklyn and don't need meddling telepaths involved in my five year plan."

McCoy shifted uncomfortably. "Police involvement isn't usually a problem when Wade brings us kids."

Sergeant Mahoney stood up with a dramatic roll of his eyes. "Can you handle this, Murdock? Tie up all these loose ends so I can file a clean report to show the press all the kids are settled and well-cared for - without anyone getting sued?"

"I'll have name-redacted statements arranged once I confirm with my clients and see what the hell is going on with the paperwork," Matt nodded, shaking the cop's hand. "Thanks, Brett."

"Just keep your feral friends off my beat and we'll consider it even," the cop said with a final glare at Frank. "Can you unlock Karen's drawer so I can get my sidearm and get back to work?"

Matt followed him into the lobby.

"So you guys are here to hire him as a lawyer, not for - " Frank hesitated.

Dr. McCoy chuckled. "The X-Men don't work with his alter ego. Logan has an unhealthy dislike for him, and he's allowed to veto outside team-ups."

"Double D doesn't use lethal force, have powers or rely on advanced tech to fight his battles. That's why a lot of people don't let him sit at their superhero table," Wanda said.

Matt closed the door when he returned with an amused smile. "You must know Peter."

"Roger Stevens is my legal guardian, I stay at the group home he runs and yes, I was out after curfew but I'm sixteen and my brother was fully aware," Wanda started. "I'm also here to reassure you that the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four and some Canadians are totally on top of the AIM situation so you'll have plenty of time to get us all cleared from government listings of any and all kinds."  
  
"Huh," Frank stated. Matt ran his hand over his face.

"I can't get you out of trouble if you pissed off Cap but I'll be glad to take your case, Hank - " Matt turned to Beast who was already holding out a thick stack of braille pages. "Oh. Thanks."

"You're one of the top-ranked lawyers in the state for unaffiliated mutants but you act surprised every time we pass you cases. And thanks for keeping Deadpool relatively off the radar."

"You guys should be nicer to Wade," Matt said. "He doesn't get to sit at the superhero table either."

"No comment, the other kids have already been collected by their families and Cap's picking up the witch once he calms down her robot boyfriend," McCoy said with a fond laugh on his way out.

"He's not a robot," Wanda frowned.

_"And you are not my problem!"_

Frank gained a lot of respect for the blue asshole for managing to extricate himself from the situation and have the last word.

"As your legal advocate, Wanda, maybe don't antagonize the UN Ambassador of Mutant Affairs, please?" Matt said.

She crossed her arms defiantly and but the dinosaurs continued merrily flipping in midair. "He knows I won't hurt him."

Frank wasn't sure that's what Matt meant but he filed it away.

"You and Spidey are normally pretty good at balancing a normal routine along with crime-fighting, otherwise we would have split when Deadpool showed up." Wanda shrugged. "The bomb and casualties made it a thing, and you didn't need to go down like that. We'll do it the legal way if you can keep our names unaffiliated."

"Appreciated, I think," Matt said but Frank could tell the girl's words had an effect on him. "Maybe I'll put in a good word for you with Steve since you're doing me a solid with the cops."

"No need, Cap loves me best, but you can give my brother an autograph - he's going to be so mad I got to meet you," Wanda snickered.

Frank still wasn't sure exactly what he had gotten himself into but he was looking forward to Friday for more than a paycheck or winning his friend a bet.  He slid his hand down Matt's back and smiled when he relaxed from the soft touch.  Yeah, this was going to be interesting.

  


 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys have been awesome! Thanks so much for all the Kudos and the comments, and thanks for taking the ride with me! ♥ ♥ ♥


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